Without grace or elegance: Roman grotesque

The heat, the exhaustion, overtourism and Stendhal syndrome sometimes have a detrimental effect on many of those who visit Rome alone or in droves.

As for me, who often finds myself wandering around the city centre – now reduced to a tourist funfair and a string of fixed-menu eateries – all I can do is focus on what’s there, trying to highlight some of the slightly grotesque aspects of this way of experiencing the city, with a touch of mischief but without denying the protagonists a certain degree of human charm.

And certainly there is a certain sloppiness in the appearance or behaviour of those who visit these places, as well as the habit of sprawl out anywhere for a break, perhaps taking off their shoes, to cool off or to eat some dreadful takeaway meal, leaving the containers strewn about; however, in their partial defence, it must also be said that the locals do not generally set shining examples of elegance and good manners.